I would think aboutohmyqueenAugust 12 2011, 23:28:24 UTC
I would think seriously about calling the press. They can interview the man who called the police, look at arrest reports, etc. If the black man has a "record" he's probably toast, but only if he's a convicted felon, I'd think. Boston police in general have terrible, terrible reputations - nearly as bad as LA's. You have nothing to gain by making a call to the press - only a chance for justice to emerge, or at least one version of the truth.
I am extremely, seriously, severely proud of you. Police are dangerous people, and I know you know this. You did the right thing, and with much sensibility. As usual, I am proud to call you my daughter.
Sounds like they already had his ID and had him off the porch by the time she saw them, so why were they still holding him, regardless of how obstreperous he was supposedly being *after* they got him off the porch? I can see them trying to fish for more information to guage whether there was any risk of future incidents, but if he's being resistant to their fishing for more information their being upset about that doesn't sound like a good reason to escalate. It really just sounds like they didn't respect him so they didn't treat him with any respect. Maybe it was an emotional reaction to something he'd done or said before, that we don't know about. Whatever the reason, they definitely seem to have converted him into a victim with a legitimate greivance, which just makes their job harder and would probably not reassure the man whose porch he was on. Sounds like a lose-lose approach, though maybe it would look different if I had more information.
Some excellent praise, which I concur with, and some excellent advice from Coffeekitty. And maybe getting a reporter interested. Sounds reasonable.
You might also consider a letter to the editor of your local paper. You needn't sign with your real name and it might get the word out. Your writing is thoughtful and even-handed and I think you can get both sides across well.
Meanwhile, good on ya. It sounds like you owned your space well, answered to your conscience and acted accordingly. Even if you don't write a word, you have already done plenty in getting the full story.
Not having read any of the other comments yet (on purpose), please *please* file a formal complaint. It sounds like a clearcut case of the police trying to intimidate you -- and the way they behaved toward you (a respectable-looking white woman) gives me zero confidence that they might've behaved fairly toward a black man.
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You might also consider a letter to the editor of your local paper. You needn't sign with your real name and it might get the word out. Your writing is thoughtful and even-handed and I think you can get both sides across well.
Meanwhile, good on ya. It sounds like you owned your space well, answered to your conscience and acted accordingly. Even if you don't write a word, you have already done plenty in getting the full story.
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